Monday, January 5, 2015

Happy Memories of my Pet Dog Sherry - Part 2: WELCOME GIFT

Happy Memories of my Pet Dog Sherry - Part 2ByVikram KarveWELCOME GIFT One more happy memory of my beloved Sherry(09 April 2006 – 17 Dec 2014)Continued from Part 1:SHERRY and HER “BABIES”

SHERRY AND HER WELCOME GIFT

Dog Psychology - Gifting Behaviour

ByVIKRAM KARVE

(I wrote this 7 years ago, in 2008, when Sherry was 2 years old)

I have a pet dog named Sherry, a DobermanX girl (the X-Factor is probably a Caravan or Mudhol or robust Indian Hound).

Sherry gives me a most enthusiastic grand rousing welcome every time I return home.

Sherry waits for me to come home.

And the moment she sees me, Sherry goes berserk with sheer excitement, wagging her tail vigorously round and round, jumping up at me enthusiastically, making unique welcome yelps, nudging me with her mouth and nose.

Then -when I, overcome by a flood of love, have caressed, petted and cuddled her, Sherry runs round and round the house in happy joyful exhilaration and ecstatic glee vigorously wagging her tail.

And then, as I enter the house, Sherry does something unique which I have never seen any other pet dog do – Sherry brings me a “gift”.

Yes, Sherry comes to me carrying in her mouth a “welcome gift”, and holds up the “gift” to me – till I take the “gift” in my hands.

And do you know what this “welcome gift” is?

Well, sometimes the “gift”is an old bone she digs out, or maybe an old soiled rag cloth or the pair of socks she had stealthily pinched from the drying stand and hidden, buried deep in the lawn, or one of her toy “babies”, or an old shoe, or maybe just some piece of muck she has dug up, or a twig, or the towel from her bed, just about anything – but Sherry always welcomes me home with a gift.

She does this to my wife, kids, mother, friends, maid, and others she knows well and though her welcome may not be as vigorously enthusiastic as she does for me, Sherry always brings them a “gift”.

I am sure if that if you ever visit me, if she likes you, maybe Sherry will bring you a welcome gift too!

For unwanted strangers Sherry has a ferocious, rather ominous bark, and, if they pay no heed and dare to enter our compound, the trespassers are in for a vicious assault followed by a memorable bite.

Oh yes, Sherry is is a superb guard dog.

Sherry bites first, and barks later.

So, if you visit me – depending on whether she likes you or not – you are sure to get either a welcome “gift” or a memorable bite from Sherry.

Sherry’s “gifting nature” has me perplexed.

I have never seen any other pet dog bringing welcome gifts.

Sherry’s fantastic welcome overwhelms me with a delightful emotion of happiness, gratitude and love that I cannot describe in words, and I always look forward to returning home to Sherry.

My wife and kids do sometimes welcome me home too, of course not as enthusiastically as Sherry, and they never give me any “welcome gift” on my arrival.

Dear Reader, have you ever seen any dogs demonstrate their happiness and affection in this way...?

Please can some dog parent or dog lover or canine psychologist or dog behavioural specialist throw some light on this “gifting behaviour” displayed by Sherry.

I wonder why does my darling pet Doberman-X girl Sherry express her love in such an inimitably endearing manner.

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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About Me

A creative person with a zest for
life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated
at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School
Pune, Vikram has published two books:COCKTAILa collection of fiction short stories about relationships
(2011) andAPPETITE FOR A STROLLa
book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel, writing short fiction and compiling his memoirs. An avid
blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative
non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, books, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories, self help and art of living essays in magazines and journals and published a number of professional research papers and reviews and edited in-house magazines and journals for many years, before the advent
of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to
creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse -
his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative
thoughts.